In February 2023, a 20-year-old maintenance worker drowned in a water main vault that flooded during the attempted repair of a leaking valve.
IL OSHA determined multiple contributing factors led to the drowning, including:
➡️ Lack of compliance with several confined space standards.
➡️ Lack of oversight and auditing by management.
➡️ Lack of rescue capability at the worksite.
IL OSHA made several specific recommendations to reduce the risk of a similar occurrence, including:
➡️ Implementing a compliant, specific, written confined space program.
➡️ Requiring management oversight and auditing of operations.
➡️ Ensure a rapid and effective rescue capability.
The affected municipality was cited with seven violations of the Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Act and sent a hazard alert letter about confined space rescue.
As part of the settlement agreement between IL OSHA and the municipality, the municipality was required to produce a companion training video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zic3glPwJX4) on confined space safety for water departments.
